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HEALTHY HINTS 10-2-06

Source of Recipe

Light & Tasty Magazines
Healthy Hints 10-2-06

- When I need fast gravy for mashed potatoes, I open a can of reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup and spoon a bit over the hot potatoes. This is a lifesaver when I don’t have enough milk or broth to make from scratch gravy or when I’m sprucing up leftovers. – L. Schmidt

-. To make whole grain pancakes, (when I don’t have time for from scratch), I combine boxed pancake mix and combine it with old-fashioned oats. I create the batter by stirring in slightly more water than is called for on the box. It’s an easy tasty way to make pancakes more nutritious. – E. Kobelia

- Your can substitute pureed prunes for some of butter or oil when baking. The prunes keep baked goods moist and tender and decrease the fat at the same time. – H. White *To make ‘pureed prunes’ see the “Make your Own” Section.

- To make brownies lower in fat, but big on flavor, Use a packaged brownie mix , then replace the oil with low-ft vanilla yogurt. I also use an egg substitute for the eggs. I add whatever water the mix calls for and bake as directed. They are perfect for a chocolate fix! – B. Tornatore

- To boost the flavor in foods, I often grab a bottle of ‘liquid smoke’ instead of the salt shaker; especially mixing a dash into bean soup and rubbing it onto salmon filets before cooking them. It also complements the ham in split pea soup. – M. Pitcarin

- A low-far dessert: I spray fat-free tortillas with refrigerated butter-flavored spray and top them with a little cinnamon-sugar. I cut the tortillas into wedges and bake them until they are golden brown. Then I sauté apple slices and a few cinnamon candies in a little corn syrup and water. Then tender apples are perfect over the crispy tortillas with fat-free whipped topping. – J. Sula

- The more I used my can of non-stick cooking spray the slipper it became, so I cut 5 inches from the top of a clean gym sock and slipped it over the spray can. It kept me hands clean and it can be washed as needed. – S. Lubiens

- I have a shortcut for freezing fresh okra. I wash it, slice it and put it into a resealable freezer-storage bag without blanching it first. I do the same with green peppers, so they are always on hand for items such as stir-fries and casseroles. – J. Smith

- I copy on blank recipe cards and file all the helpful-hints I get from Light & Tasty behind the category dividers in my recipe box. For instance, I keep al the tips about desserts right behind the divider marked ‘desserts’ and before all my favorite dessert recipe cards. – K. Drown

- I recently boiled a chicken to make chicken salad sandwiches and didn’t want to waste the broth, so I strained it and poured it into ice cube trays. Once the cubes were frozen I transferred them to a resealable freezer bag. Now when a recipe calls for canned broth, I just thaw the number of cubes I need adding a little water if desired. – G. Sigrist, Sr.

- When ever I serve spaghetti, I add either fresh or frozen broccoli to the sauce about 5 minutes before serving. It adds taste and texture and nutrition to the meal. Sometimes I leave out the meat and just serve the broccoli in the sauce for a vegetarian change of pace. – S. Shafer

A trick for lowering the fat in brownies is to not add any fat to the boxed recipe at all. The brownies are as moist and tasty as usual, and no one could tell the difference – L. Reed

- For a good crunchy coleslaw, add about 1/2 cup peeled and shredded broccoli stems to the cabbage mix. We also like to add a small amount of jalapeno pepper to perk up the taste, - C. Wood

- When ever I have a ‘hands-on’ job like forming meatballs or skinning chicken, I wear inexpensive disposable latex gloves. They are available in the medication dept. of discount stores and generally cost 5-7 cents when purchased in boxes of 50 or 100. They’re also available in non-latex for those who are allergic. – P. Volz

- If you’ve been told to reduce-sodium in your diet, explore the ‘health food’ sections of your store or go to a health food store. – B. Farwell

- Bake your ‘French-fries’ instead of frying them. For every medium to large potato, we put a tablespoon of olive or canola oil in a resealable plastic bag. We put the seasonings in the bag, and then add the potatoes. After shaking the potatoes until they are coated, we place them on baking sheet and bake then at 350º until they are brown and tender. They taste delicious- crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can also season them the way you want; whether it be a little salt or Cajun seasoning. – L. Tyson

- Short Term freezer storage: When using a bag of something, twist the open part of the bag closed and secure it with a clothespin. To close open boxes of frozen foods, wrap a rubber band or two around the whole box. - D. Anderson

- When you need to make a spice bag from cheesecloth, use a metal tea ball instead. It’s easy to remove when dinner is ready. – L Duncan

- When cranberries are on sale during the holidays, buy a few extra and freeze them. I use the cranberries in recipes that call for raspberries or blueberries. They are also great mixed with sliced peaches in cobblers. – M. Pollock